Attention Connecticut!

Most favorite-ist quote of the day:

Democratic councilor Michael Spiteri said a hybrid tax exemption would have been beneficial four years ago, but not today, when the market appears to be expanding on its own.

“They’re selling themselves,” he said. “I’ve got a few neighbors that own them. My brother has been waiting to buy one for a few years now. I haven’t heard any bad stories (about them) yet.”

Anyhoo … here’s the skinny. State law allows city governments to offer citizens a property tax exemption if they purchase a hybrid that gets 40+ miles per gallon. At this time, that’s basically the Prius … maybe the Insight. They don’t account for people who can get that out of their car, but the EPA-stated limits. You might talk to people in your city government to see how they feel about it.

The number one complaint seems to be that the state doesn’t fork anything toward the difference in lost tax money. You might want to check out the other kinds of exemptions on property taxes running in your area to see whether or not you have any leverage. For instance, our town offers a partial exemption for properties built before 1900, for owners in certain professions, for veterans. They make room in their budget for special interest groups that help out locally. They MIGHT be willing to provide an incentive for people to pollute less, and use less gas, as well.

Read more on the tax exemption proposal in Wallingford, CT